Most House Democrats voted “present” Tuesday on a resolution aimed at forcing them to clarify whether they support U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, after some Democrats have criticized the agency's role in enforcing U.S. immigration laws.

The House passed a nonbinding resolution saying lawmakers support the "officers and personnel who carry out the important mission of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement." A two-thirds majority was needed to pass it, and because Democrats voted "present" instead of "no," it passed easily in a 244-35 vote.

The final vote saw just 18 Democrats vote for the resolution, and 34 Democrats vote against it. But the vast majority of Democrats, 133, voted "present."

A vote on the resolution came after Republican leaders decided to abandon a plan to force Democrats to vote on a bill authored by one of their own lawmakers that would terminate ICE within a year and farm out some ICE functions to other agencies.

Some Republicans objected to taking up the Democrats’ bill because, they argued, it would give Democrats in tough swing states a chance to vote against abolishing ICE, a politically questionable position that is now associated with the party.

A recent poll showed very few people support abolishing ICE, which carries out all interior immigration enforcement and also combats associated gang violence, drug smuggling, and human trafficking.

But some Democrats have accused ICE of separating immigration families at the border. The trio of Democrats who sponsored the Abolish ICE bill last week announced they would vote against it if House GOP leaders bring it to the floor for a vote, and on Wednesday, they accused the GOP of playing politics.

Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., said GOP resolution “shows an important contrast,” between the two parties ahead of the midterm elections.

“We stand up for our ICE agents and the people that are keeping America safe,” Scalise said. “They want to get rid of them. It's a radical idea they have, and this resolution's really important.”

The incredible irony. Democrats wouldn't even vote on their own proposal to eliminate ICE.

And then, even the more softened version to support ICE, the overwhelming majority of Democrats noncommittally voted "present" rather than for or against. Which is obviously cowardice. And I'm sure it's even cowardice in the eyes of those Dems are trying to appease. 133 Democrats voting present !

Democrats are the party of chaos. Their rhetoric and their policies aare about demagoguery and anarchy, and they're dishonest about what they even advocate or believe. If it's bad for America, that's the side they're on.

And maybe it wasn't always that way, but that's what they are now. The party of Saul Alinsky tactics of infiltration and demagoguery. The party of fronting moderate policy to get elected, and then once in power pushing radicalism. The party whose bedrock principle is deception. The party who defends illegal immigrants and criminals over law-abiding taxpaying U.S. citizens.

Basically, the American public hasn';t supported Democrats, so a few decades ago they came up with this idea to import a socialist welfare-dependent third-world electorate, that will vote Democrat if they give them free stuff. And as further consolidated, to spread the cattle who vote Democrat in states nationwide to tip the balance and make them majority-democrat. That brings about short-term victory for Democrats, and long-term damage, chaos and division to the nation.The 50 counties that are most saturated with illegal immigrants have seen the greatest decline in wages, and the greatest increase in poverty.

Keith Ellison's proposed reparations are to admit as many illegals as possible, and make payment to the Mexican government to prepare even more to enter! At the U.S. taxpaying citizens' expense.

Among other insane proposals. Democrats seem confused about the fact that they are elected by taxpaying U.S. citizens, to represent U.S. taxpaying citizens, not the citizens of foreign countries.

While the U.S. Constitution does say that part about black slaves being counted as 3/5's of a man and returning escaped slaves, it also has provisions related to white indentured servants. There were also black slave owners who owned black slaves, and Native American slave owners. And free slaves in Northern states. So it wasn't as black-and-white as Ellison portrays.

Ellison wrote these articles when he was 26 under the fake name of "Keith Hakim" or "Keith E. Hakim", presumably so they wouldn't come back to haunt him in his later professional/political life. Oopsie! It came back to haunt him anyway.

But once again demonstrates the hidden radicalism in his more recent Democrat party politics and the further radicalism he and his party would pursue, if they can fool enough regular Americans to vote for them.

The vote was about optics leaving neither side looking great. From the article, the GOP decided not to allow a vote on the original bill because they were afraid democrats would vote against it. Pretty lame imho

House Republicans initially had planned to hold a vote on a bill authored by Wisconsin Democratic Rep. Mark Pocan to abolish ICE, but opted instead to call a vote on the Higgins resolution. They painted Democrat as outside the mainstream on the issue.

First off, the bill to abolish ICE was written by a Democrat. Period, the end.

Second, as I recall it being reported, Democrats resisted their own bill to abolish ICE. So Republicans softened it to a vote to approve of ICE. To which the Democrat cowards still voted overwhelmingly "present" instead of for or against. Because they know that even their own voter-base is repulsed by their attacking ICE and other law enforcement. So the Dems posture, but haven't got the guts to back up their nation-destroying rhetoric.

The story you posted actually says republicans didn't want to vote on the first one though because democrats would have voted against it and your party didn't want that. When you know that it seems silly to try to generalize like your trying to do. Again this was about optics that I think leave both parties not looking really good beyond the fringes maybe.

Despite your best distorting spin, there is NOTHING that could adequately explain why 133 Democrats would vote "present" rather than a simple yes or no on a bill to simply support ICE.

That's 133 Democrats (an overwhelming majority) who won't even vote in favor of law enforcement doing their jobs. These Democrats might as well call them "pigs" (as Bill and Hillary Clinton call police) or baby killers, or campare them to "Soviet gulags, Nazi storm troopers and the Pol Pot regime" (quoting Sen. Dick Durbin of Michigan).

Democrats, the party of lawlessness, mob rule, hating law enforcement, and hating America.

What you call spin is in the article you posted. The GOP made a choice and the reasoning for choosing the one over the other was stated in what you posted. Maybe it pleases you to look at Dems in such a hateful twisted way but it's not an honest one.

Democrats were cowards, to the point that they couldn't vote just "yes" or "no", and 133 voted "present". That pushes the B.S.-o-meter needle into the red of virtually every American.

The bill that wasn't voted on was the Democrats' own bill, to abolish ICE. There's absolutely no way to spin that in the Democrats' favor. Voting "present" is a lie and deception, where Democrats walked away from their own lying rhetoric.

Well if yours was an honest assessment I would have more of an issue with my party. It's not though. The GOP passed on voting for the original bill because they didn't want democrats voting against it and having a record going into the next election. It would mess up their optics. Immigration used to be a bipartisan issue. Obama deported more people than W.